# Cancel a scheduled post, discard a draft, or retract a live one

> Markdown version of https://docs.postlake.dev/api/delete-posts-by-id . The canonical page for humans.
> PostLake is the social media API for AI agents: https://postlake.dev/llms.txt

`DELETE /v1/posts/{id}`

Cancel a future schedule, discard a personal draft, clear a failed record, or request removal of published targets where supported. Approval requests must be rejected separately. Queued/processing publication returns 409. GET /v1/posts/{id}/deletion previews the consequences; send its snapshot to reject intervening changes. Unsupported destinations stay online and keep the record visible. Accepted removals are retained on remaining targets and not repeated on retry. Uploads are kept; spent publishing credits are not refunded. Instagram and TikTok require removal in their apps.

## Request

Authenticate with a bearer API key. Agents calling over MCP authorise with OAuth instead and never handle the key.

```bash
curl -X DELETE https://api.postlake.dev/v1/posts/{id} \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $POSTLAKE_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"snapshot":"…"}'
```

### Parameters

| Field | Type | Required | What it is |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `id` | string | Yes | In the URL. |

### Body

| Field | Type | Required | What it is |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `snapshot` | string | No | Full-post snapshot returned by the deletion preview. |


## Response

Success (`200`).

| Field | Type | Required | What it is |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `id` | string | Yes |  |
| `cancelled` | boolean | No |  |
| `deleted` | boolean | No |  |
| `targets` | array of object | No |  |



### Example

```json
{
  "id": "…",
  "cancelled": false,
  "deleted": false,
  "targets": [
    {
      "account": "…",
      "platform": "…",
      "deleted": "…",
      "verified": "…",
      "reason": "…",
      "url": "…"
    }
  ]
}
```


## Calling this from an agent

Agents do not call REST. They call tools. Over the hosted MCP server this operation is `list_posts`, and the agent authorises with OAuth so your API key is never pasted into a chat or seen by the model. You control what any one agent may do: which brands it may act for, which networks it may reach, how much a day, and whether it may spend credits bought up front.

## Errors

Every failure uses one shape: a stable `type`, a granular `code`, the field at fault in `param`, and a plain-language `fix`. See https://docs.postlake.dev/errors.md .

Check the result before retrying a write. Only operations that explicitly support idempotency can safely replay an `Idempotency-Key`.

## Common questions

**Can an AI agent do this without the REST API?**

Yes. Over MCP the same job is the list_posts tool. The agent authorises with OAuth, so no API key is pasted into a chat or seen by the model, and the answer comes back in the same normalised shape.

**Is it safe to retry this call?**

Do not automatically repeat a write after a timeout unless that endpoint explicitly documents idempotency. First read the resulting state; a second request could repeat the action.

**What happens when it fails?**

You get one error shape: a stable type, a granular code you can branch on, the offending field in param, and a fix written so an agent can correct itself rather than stop. Full list on Errors and retries.

## Related

- [Recover a creation receipt without replaying a write](https://docs.postlake.dev/api/get-idempotency-receipt.md) `GET /v1/idempotency/{key}`
- [List posts](https://docs.postlake.dev/api/get-posts.md) `GET /v1/posts`
- [Get post](https://docs.postlake.dev/api/get-posts-by-id.md) `GET /v1/posts/{id}`
- [Preview cancellation or published-post removal](https://docs.postlake.dev/api/get-posts-by-id-deletion.md) `GET /v1/posts/{id}/deletion`